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Shawn Lovato: Cycles of Animation
ByThe opener "Loose Noodle" functions as a sort of overture to this oeuvre, compactly presenting the colors and shapes that ultimately unfold and experience further development during the course of the album. The compositional aspect is reflected only in the fixed meter and pulsating stabs by saxophone and guitar in the interval of a major second, forming the main and constant motif of the piece. Framed by punchy basslines and sparsely placed syncopating chords on piano, the guitar and drums intensify the pace with various melodic and rhythmic approaches.
In this manner the set continues, alternating between quieter passageswhere one can hear and feel the musicians searching for one another, implicitly creating intense dialoguesand more furious displays of contradicting scales in all voices, with tonal centers seemingly dissolving. An example of the latter is "7th Street Jig," which is barely a composition at all, but a layer cake made up of frantic ensemble jamming. The musicians, who on first consideration seem to be playing independently from one another, eventually come together to shape a harmonically climaxing sound carpet.
The title lending its name to the album Cycles of Animation is divided into three parts, each constructed around a base made up of calm conversations between piano, drums and bass. As the subheadings of the parts suggest ("Slow, Harvest," "Inhale, Exhale," "Labor, Rest"), this piece functions as the contrastingly calmer counterpoint to the otherwise jumpy exhibition pieces that make up the rest of the record and therefore finds itself evenly distributed across the album.
The highlights that make these sounds a truly special offering lie within the fusion of the unique characters evoked by each instrument, ultimately leading to a singular timbre, that evolves and grows within the course of the album, quite justifiedly entitled Cycles of Animation.
Track Listing
Loose Noodle; Static Phases Illuminated; Animated Cycle I: Sow, Harvest; Brain Drain; Animated Cycle II: Inhale, Exhale; 7th Street Jig; Animated Cycle III: Labor, Rest; Unplugged Slug.
Personnel
Shawn Lovato
bass, acousticLoren Stillman: alto saxophone; Brad Shepik: guitar; Santiago Leibson: piano; Shawn Lovato: bass; Chris Carroll: drums.
Album information
Title: Cycles of Animation | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Skirl Records
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About Shawn Lovato
Instrument: Bass, acoustic
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